The Governor's Office of Disability Affairs Newsletter
June/July 2019
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Governor's Office of Disability Affairs Conference
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The Governor's Office of Disability Affairs (GODA) will host its Annual Conference on July 26, 2019 at the Claiborne Building in Baton Rouge, LA. The Conference will be held on the 29th Anniversary of the signing of the American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.
The GODA Conference will feature a Keynote Presentation from Kristi Avalos, the founder and CEO of Accessology and national expert in accessibility, the ADA, and national disability related issues. The GODA Conference will also include sessions on education, employment, healthcare, housing, transportation, and emergency preparedness.
Due to the overwhelming response, availability is limited. GODA encourages all interested parties to register immediately.
The to register for the GODA Conference please click
here.
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Highlights of the 2019 Legislative Session from GODA
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- Restoration of rates for home and community based services for people with disabilities.
- Increase of the EPSTD Personal Care Service rate to the same as the Children Choice IFS Rate.
- House Bill 199, which implements a TEFRA like program effective June 1, 2020
- House Bill 320 and Senate Bill 78, which includes Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) providers in the definition of behavioral health service provider in order to allow these providers to gain access to students during school hours upon the request of the parents.
- Senate Bill 151, which transfers the Louisiana Special Education Center from the Special School District to LDH and renames the center the Central Louisiana Supports and Services Center.
- Senate Bill 158, which requires each local public school superintendent and the administrative head of each charter school to establish a special education advisory council to provide advice and feedback regarding special education policies, procedures, and resources and engage in community outreach.
- House Bill 143, also known as Evie’s Law, prohibits discrimination against potential organ transplant recipients based on disability.
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2019 Governor's Outstanding Leadership in Disabilities (GOLD) Awards
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The Governor’s Office of Disability Affairs will host the 2019 Governor’s Outstanding Leadership in Disabilities (GOLD) Awards on December 10, 2019 at the Old State Capitol. The GOLD Awards is an opportunity for Louisiana to pay tribute to the achievements and dedication of individuals in the disability community.
The Governor’s Office of Disability Affairs strives to structure the awards ceremony to celebrate all Louisiana citizens who have inspired positive changes within the disability community. With your help, the 2019 GOLD Awards will honor the devotion and talents of those who have worked diligently to make Louisiana a better place for all people.
The 2019 GOLD Awards Nomination Packet will be available on July 12, 2019.
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2019 Inclusive Art Contest
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To bring greater awareness of the importance of inclusion in society today, The Governor's Office of Disability Affairs (GODA) will host the 2019 Inclusive Art Contest. This year's theme is "Living, Learning, and Loving...Together!". GODA encourages interested parties to use art to share their vision, experiences, and talents to demonstrate this year's theme.
The official flyer with the criteria and contest rules for the 2019 Inclusive Art Contest will be available on July 12, 2019.
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On Friday, June 14, 2019, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued the long-awaited guidance regarding Small Business Administration (SBA) loans being considered a Duplication of Benefits (DOB) for federal grant dollars available through Restore Louisiana. Currently, the Office of Community Development (OCD) is working with HUD to fully understand the requirements of the guidance, which will soon go into effect once published as a notice in the Federal Register.
OCD has begun writing the HUD-required Action Plan Amendment (APA) and modifying Restore Louisiana program policies and procedures in order to implement HUD’s guidance. Once HUD provides clarification on the federal requirements and limitations of the guidance, Restore Louisiana will contact impacted homeowners with more detailed information about their specific accounts and any additional documentation that may be required.
“The good news is that Restore Louisiana may be able to soon move forward with processing reductions in DOB in cases where homeowners declined the SBA loan amount they were approved for, regardless of income,” said OCD Executive Director Pat Forbes. “Because the Program has been preparing for this for months, and we do not believe an APA is necessary for this portion of the guidance, homeowners who outright declined their SBA loan may expect to receive notification from the Restore Louisiana program in the coming weeks.”
The guidance includes various stipulations for how Restore Louisiana may update the grant DOB calculation, depending on whether a homeowner declined, canceled, or drew down in whole or part SBA loan funds, as well as whether a homeowner’s total household income is below or above 120 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). AMI is a federal metric that defines the midpoint of a region’s income distribution while also taking into account an individual’s parish and household size.
The Restore Louisiana program continues to work with Louisiana’s Congressional delegation to get further clarification from HUD on these and other aspects of the guidance; however, below is the Program’s current understanding of the guidance:
- For homeowners who declined or canceled the SBA loans they were approved for, the SBA loan amount they did not draw down will no longer be counted as a Duplication of Benefits for their Restore grant, regardless of income.
- The State must submit a substantial APA to HUD to be able to provide funds for repayment of SBA loan funds disbursed to homeowners. Once that action plan amendment is approved, the Program will be able to provide funds for repayment of the drawn down amounts of SBA loans for all households at or below 120 percent AMI.
- Households with income above 120 percent AMI may also be able to receive funds for SBA loan repayment if they can demonstrate a “hardship.” The criteria for a hardship exception must be approved by HUD as part of the substantial action plan amendment. HUD will then need to approve homeowners’ financial hardship justification on a case-by-case basis.
For more information please click
here
.
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Light-It-Up Red For Sickle Cell Awareness
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To bring greater awareness to the millions of adults and children who live with Sickle Cell Anemia worldwide, Governor John Bel Edwards and First Lady Donna Edwards participated in the Light-It-Up Red Challenge by illuminating the Governor's Mansion Red on Sickle Cell Awareness Day on June 19th.
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EarlySteps: Louisiana’s Early Intervention System Raises the Bar on Performance
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Every year, each state that receives
IDEA Part C
(Early Intervention) funding is required by the U.S. Department of Education to report annually to the Secretary on its performance under the State Performance Plan (SPP). Specifically, the State must report in its Annual Performance Report (APR), the progress it has made in meeting the measurable and rigorous targets established in its SPP. The Secretary is required to issue an annual determination to each State on its progress in meeting the requirements of the statute. The determinations are part of the ongoing efforts to improve education for America’s 7 million children with disabilities.
IDEA details four categories for the Secretary’s determinations. A State’s determination may be:
·
Meets the requirements
and purposes of IDEA
·
Needs Assistance
in implementing the requirements of IDEA
·
Needs Intervention
in implementing the requirements of IDEA
·
Needs substantial
intervention in implementing the requirements of IDEA
In a letter addressed to Dr. Rebekah Gee, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, on June 18, 2019, it was determined by the
U.S. Department of Education
that Louisiana’s
EarlySteps Program
meets the requirements and purposes of Part C of IDEA
. This determination is based on the totality of the State’s data and information, including the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2017 State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report (SPP/APR), other State-reported data, and other publicly available information.
This is the first time in four years that Louisiana has not rated in the Needs Assistance category.
“After four years, Louisiana finally moved back up in the APR performance ratings from Needs Assistance to Meets Requirements, which is the highest rating of the four levels,” said Brenda Sharp – EarlySteps Manager. She also explained that EarlySteps staff and partners have been very vigilant in their system improvement work and believes this outcome is the direct result of that work.
For more details regarding the information provided in this article, please click any of the links provided above.
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The Statewide Independent Living Council to Host Series of Job and Resource Fairs
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The Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) will host a series of Inclusion Job and Resource Fairs this fall. The SILC encourages all interested parties to find out more about possible career opportunities and resources available to the community by with interfacing over 40 vendors.The job fairs will take place in various locations throughout the state (see the schedule below) from 10am to 2pm. These job and resource fairs will provide valuable information regarding employment and other important resources for individuals with disabilities.
The Inclusion Job and Resource Fairs Schedule:
- Oct. 9: Lake Charles Civic enter Address: 900 Lakeshore Dr, Lake Charles, LA 70601
- Oct. 10: Baton Rouge- BREC Ball Room-Address: 6201 Florida Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70806
- Oct. 11: Lafayette- Robicheaux Recreation Center Address: 1919 Eraste Landry Rd, Lafayette, LA 70506
- Oct. 16: Monroe- West Ouachita Sr. Center Address: 1800 N 7th St, West Monroe, LA 71291
- Oct. 23: Shreveport- Shreveport Park and Recreation, David Raines Community Center Address: 2920 Round Grove Lane, Shreveport, LA 71107
- Oct. 30: Pineville- Pineville Community Center Address:2450 Hwy 28 East Pineville 71360
- Oct. 31: Hammond- Hammond Recreation Center Address:601 W. Coleman Ave. Hammond, LA 70403
Individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to attend. For more information or if you would like to be a vendor for this event to contact Jessica Lewis at 225-219-7552. This event is sponsored by the Statewide Independent Living Council and Healthy Blue.
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The Statewide Independent Living Council to Host Inclusion GALA
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T
he Statewide Independent Living Council will host an Inclusion Gala for individuals with and without disabilities. The Inclusion Gala will be held on August 10
th
at 7:00pm at the Wyndam Garden Lafayette, 1801 West Pinhook Road, Lafayette, LA 70508. This event is open to adults with disabilities and anyone else who has a connection with the disability community. The Gala will be an opportunity to recognize important people who have carried on the Independent Living philosophy in the community. For information and to RSVP please visit the link below. Only 100 seats available. This event is sponsored by the Statewide Independent Living Council ,New Horizons, and Humana.
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Rachel Brown Named Principal of Lafayette High School
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The Lafayette Parish School System announced Friday that Rachel Brown, a current assistant principal, is taking over as principal at Lafayette High School. She’ll be the first woman to lead the parish’s oldest high school.
She is taking over for outgoing principal Donald Thornton Jr., who announced in April he was leaving to take a position at Westminster Christian Academy as the school’s first upper school principal. He started that position June 3.
Brown has bachelor’s degrees in fine arts and science from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, a master’s degree in deaf education from the University of New Orleans and a Ph.D. in education, curriculum and instruction from Capella University.
Brown is taking over after two years as an assistant principal at the roughly 2,000-student high school. As assistant principal, Brown said she was responsible for freshmen, the special education department, the foreign language department and the English as a Second Language department.
Before becoming an administrator at Lafayette High, Brown served as the head administrator for middle school students at the Louisiana School for the Deaf from July 2016 to January 2018. Prior to that, she taught for 10 years at Lafayette High as a teacher for deaf students and American Sign Language.
Interim schools superintendent Irma Trosclair said Brown signed the paperwork confirming her principalship Friday. Trosclair said she and the school system team are confident Brown will lead the system’s largest high school successfully.
Trosclair said Brown’s relationship with the school community, parents and co-workers is an advantage that will help facilitate a smooth transition.
“Her passion and dedication to that school is displayed. There’s no doubt about that,” Trosclair said.
School board president Justin Centanni said he believes Brown is the third consecutive Lafayette High principal to rise from the school’s administrative team. Her knowledge of the school’s community and culture will be a benefit, especially at a school Lafayette High’s size, he said.
It’s also important because of Lafayette High’s diverse student population. Encouraging success among large populations of economically disadvantaged, special education and gifted students, among others, requires a strong leader, he said.
Brown said the school also has a blind and deaf population, a growing ESL population, French immersion students and students enrolled in the Academy of Health Careers.
Brown said one of her goals is boosting academic achievement across all populations. She wants to challenge teachers to push their students to the next level, whether that student is low-performing or a gifted student.
The new principal said the school’s diversity is also one of the things she loves most about the campus. There’s always someone to learn from, she said.
Diverse ideas, constant growth and learning from co-workers is what Brown loves most about being an administrator, she said. She believes collaboration is one of the best ways to improve as a teacher and leader and encouraging teamwork among her staff is one of her biggest goals as principal, Brown said.
For more information please click
here
.
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Northeast Delta Human Services Authority Update
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The “Stop the Cycle” Prison Reentry Summit in partnership with Goodwill Industries of North Louisiana was held on Tuesday, June 11 at First West in West Monroe, LA.
At the summit, over 150 people, including dozens of groups and organizations, gathered from across the region and the state to devote half a day to making a positive impact on individuals as they leave prison and reenter their families, neighborhoods, communities and parishes. Check out
Northeast Delta Human Services Authority (HSA)
Facebook recap, including photos from the day
here
. HSA was excited to continue to work together to stop the cycle of incarceration and recidivism in our region.
Northeast Delta Human Services Authority (HSA) work with prison reentry is not limited to a gathering. It has been ongoing for years.
Northeast Delta Human Services Authority started the Louisiana Reentry (LA-Re) and Second Opportunity Workforce Solutions (SOWS) programs in part to deal with some significant prison reentry issues. LA-Re gives nonviolent, mentally ill and addicted offenders an opportunity to get the help they need post-incarceration to avoid recidivism. It is a pilot program to evaluate how the agency’s integrated healthcare model might positively impact the lives of those living with mental illness and addiction as they return to Northeast Louisiana communities from Louisiana’s prisons and jails. The SOWS program provides supportive employment services to Northeast Delta clients served by the agency’s integrative behavioral and primary healthcare network, including citizens who are non-violent criminal offenders and those who are being released from incarceration
Northeast Delta offers transitional housing through Easter Seals Louisiana and Rays of Sonshine, clinical mental health and addiction services through six outpatient clinics in our 12-parish region, and in-patient addiction rehab treatment through LaArk Recovery and Rayville Recovery. Additionally, our prevention team works through evidence-based education, coalition-building and other proactive strategies designed to prevent and reduce risk-taking behaviors.
Keep your eyes open for future events as Northeast Delta continues to serve as a catalyst for transformation in our 12-parish region.
Interested parties who want to find ways to be connected, please contact Strategic Initiatives Coordinator Andrew Koetsier at 318-362-4237 or
Andrew.Koetsier@la.gov
.
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Louisiana Deaf-Blind
Interagency Team Invitation
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The Louisiana Deafblind Project for Children and Youth (LA DBP) in partnership with the Helen Keller National Center invite you to participate in an organizational meeting for the Louisiana Deafblind Interagency Team.
The proposed purpose of the Louisiana Deafblind Interagency Team would to facilitate coordination of services for individuals (children & adults) who are deafblind in Louisiana. This cooperative effort encompassing multiple agencies in Louisiana currently providing services to this population, we hope, will be mutually beneficial in enhancing early identification, supporting appropriate educational programming, advancing, improving and expanding transition services for youth and supporting employment and independent living opportunities for individuals who are deafblind in the state.
We anticipate our efforts will be directed toward:
- Increasing the collaboration between partners to assure the maximization of all available resources,
- Assuring appropriate and necessary services are provided to individuals,
- Informing and educating the general public regarding the success and abilities of individuals who are deafblind,
- Increasing the capacity of those who are deafblind and their families, and
- Educating and assisting services providers in identifying consumers who are deafblind.
The organizational meeting will take place
Friday, July 26, 2019
at the
East Baton Rouge Parish Library, 7711 Goodwood Blvd., Baton Rouge 70806.
We have reserved
Conference Room A
for our meeting from
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
We have attempted to determine the agencies statewide we anticipate would be interested in participating is this endeavor. However, we don’t want to leave anyone out! So please don’t hesitate to share this invitation with others you feel may want to participate. You may also extend an invitation to others in your agency should you not be able to personally attend.
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Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. to Provide Free Mammogram Screenings in New Orleans
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The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. will provide a free mammogram screenings on July 6-7 at the Essence Festival, in New Orleans, LA. at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. To schedule online please click
here
.
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National Catholic Partnership on Disability Seeks Executive Director
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After more than 37 years of devoted service, Janice Benton will retire from The National Catholic Partnership on Disability this November. We will miss her, but we are so happy that she will be able to spend more time in her cherished roles as a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and Secular Franciscan.
The NCPD Transition Committee is currently looking for a new executive director for November 2019. If you or anyone you know is interested in finding out more this exciting new position, please click
here
for more details.
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Get A Game Plan- Emergency Preparedness
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With hurricane season in effect, it is important to have a game plan for emergency situations and natural disasters.
Being prepared for emergencies can reduce the fear, panic, and inconvenience that surrounds a disaster. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness has provided these helpful tips:
Check for hazards in the home.
During and right after a disaster, ordinary items in the home can cause injury or damage. Anything that can move, fall, break or cause fire is a home hazard. Check for items such as bookcases, hanging pictures, or overhead lights that could fall in an earthquake or a flood and block an escape path.
Be ready to evacuate.
Have a plan for getting out of your home or building
(ask your family or friends for assistance, if necessary)
. Also, plan two evacuation routes because some roads may be closed or blocked in a disaster.
Have disaster supplies on hand:
- Flashlight with extra batteries.
- Portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries.
- First aid kit and manual.
- Emergency food and water.
- Non electric can opener.
- Essential medicines
- Cash and credit cards
- Sturdy shoes
Maintain a list of the following important items and store it with the emergency supplies. Give a copy to another family member and a friend or neighbor.
- Special equipment and supplies, e.g., hearing aid batteries
- Current prescriptions names and dosages
- Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of doctors and pharmacist
- Detailed information about the specifications of your medication regime
Create a self-help network of relatives, friends or co-workers to assist in an emergency.
If you think you may need assistance in a disaster, discuss your disability with relatives, friends, and co-workers and ask for their help. For example, if you need help moving or require special arrangements to receive emergency messages, make a plan with friends. Make sure they know where you keep emergency supplies. Give a key to a neighbor or friend who may be able to assist you in a disaster.
Contact your local emergency information management office now.
Many local emergency management offices maintain registers of people with disabilities so they can be located and assisted quickly in a disaster.
Wearing medical alert tags or bracelets to identify your disability may help in case of an emergency.
Know the location and availability of more than one facility if you are dependent on a dialysis machine or other life-sustaining equipment or treatment.
If you have a severe speech, language, or hearing disability:
- When you dial 9-1-1, tap space bar to indicate TDD call.
- Store a writing pad and pencils to communicate with others.
- Keep a flashlight handy to signal whereabouts to other people and for illumination to aid in communication.
- Remind friends that you cannot completely hear warnings or emergency instructions. Ask them to be your source of emergency information as it comes over their radio.
- If you have a hearing ear dog, be aware that the dog may become confused or disoriented in an emergency. Store extra food, water and supplies for your dog.
Planning for Evacuation
People with disabilities have the same choices as other community residents about whether to evacuate their homes and where to go when an emergency threatens. Listen to the advice of local officials. Decide whether it is better to leave the area, stay with a friend or go to a public shelter. Each of these decisions requires planning and preparation.
If you need a wheelchair:Show friends how to operate your wheelchair so they can move you if necessary. Make sure your friends know the size of your wheelchair in case it has to be transported.
Please click
here
to access more information.
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